Alabar, in association with Blue Chip Farms and the Sunshine Beach Syndicate, are thrilled to announce that they have entered into a long term agreement to stand the world champion son of the great Somebeachsomewhere – Sunshine Beach at their New Zealand farm.
Broodmare owners will surely agree that the timing couldn’t be better for the arrival at stud down under of a glamour son of Somebeachsomewhere.
That Somebeachsomewhere is the most commercial pacing sire in North America is a given. However, it is the momentum swing with his progeny in Australia and New Zealand that is making breeders sit up and take note.
It started with Menin Gate’s victory in the Victoria Derby and has just kept building.
However, it was on Saturday night that Somebeachsomewhere made his biggest statement to date in this part of the world. His two star two-year-old sons – the unbeaten Waikiki Beach and Goodtime Sammy oozed class and were simply in a different league to their rivals in the APG Semi-Finals at Menangle.
Breeders will be especially interested that Waikiki Beach is from a daughter of Bettor’s Delight.
Intriguingly, there are only 6 foals of racing age in North America by Somebeachsomewhere out of mares by Bettor’s Delight – all 6 have won in sub-1:55 and 4 have already won over $100,000.
The sires that can cross well with the burgeoning number of quality daughters of Bettor’s Delight going to stud are the sires that will have a huge head start for success. The early indicators point to a son of Somebeachsomewhere being a very worthy candidate for this role.
Next to the $3 million winner Captaintreacherous, Sunshine Beach is the greatest son to date of Somebeachsomewhere.
In fact his crowning glory is that he is the first horse ever to defeat the great Captaintreacherous. He did so as a three-year old in the $500,000 Battle of the Brandywine where he led with Captaintreacherous sitting outside him. At the end of a titanic stretch duel Sunshine Beach had his nose in front in a world record equalling 1:47.8.
Two months later in the $500,000 Breeders Crown Final at the same Pocono Downs venue the two outstanding sons of Somebeachsomewhere met again. This time, after starting from barrier eight it was Sunshine Beach’s turn to sit outside Captaintreacherous. Another stirring stretch duel ensued, both pacers were accorded the same time but it was Captaintreacherous that got the decision.
In what was an outstanding three-year-old season, Sunshine Beach also won an elimination of the Meadowlands Pace in 1:48 (third in the Final), a division of the Bluegrass at The Red Mile in 1:48.4, an elimination of the Matron Stakes in 1:50.2 (second in the Final) and, in his final start of the season, the Progress Pace in 1:50.6.
Remarkably, less than 48 hours after winning the Progress Pace, Sunshine Beach went into surgery to have a four and a half centimetre stone removed from his bladder. Following this surgery he was, however, still left with a kidney stone that continued to trouble him through, and ultimately ended, his four-year-old campaign.
After having been allowed time to strengthen and only lightly raced as a two-year-old (although he did win in 1:52.2 at this age), Sunshine Beach won over $900,000 as a three-year-old with fourteen sub-1:50 performances.
Trainer Mark Steacy described Sunshine Beach as “a tough, gutsy horse with a big heart".
He added that "Most people don't realize that Sunshine Beach raced through an extremely painful bladder stone. Even with this he was a world champion. He narrowly missed winning the Breeders Crown after being parked with no cover from the eight hole for the whole mile. Two days after winning the Progress Pace he had major surgery to remove the bladder stone. Unfortunately he was still left with a kidney stone which he was forced to race with as a four-year-old."
There is a nice symmetry in Sunshine Beach coming to stand at Alabar NZ – as the champion trotter Majestic Son was also trained by Mark Steacy. So the greatest trotter and the greatest pacer he has trained will now stand alongside each other.
A spectacular individual, Sunshine Beach is the best performer from the prolific Artsplace mare Light Up – the dam of five in 1:53 and four $350,000+ winners that also include Warrawee Flare (1:50.6, $609,019), Safe Harbor (1:50.2, $502,688) and Western Moonlight (p, 2, 1:52.6, $366,091).
This is the incredible Golden Miss family that has already produced many successful sires including Rocknroll Hanover, Panorama, Safely Kept, Real Desire and Grinfromeartoear.
Blue Chip Farm bought into Sunshine Beach at the start of his four-year-old season. He was a horse that met all their requirements as a sire and they were excited about Sunshine Beach continuing to prove himself “against any and all competition."
It wasn’t to be though, luck and health deserted Sunshine Beach as a four-year-old. Even so, he did still win in 1:49 and was timed in sub 1:50 in eight of his ten starts (he also won a qualifier by 23 lengths with a 25.4 last quarter) – but if you’ve ever had a kidney stone you’ll appreciate what he had to endure and just how tough this horse must have been.
However, as we all know, sometimes adversity creates opportunity.
Sunshine Beach will stand at Alabar NZ for NZ$4,000 (plus GST) and will also be available in Australia for A$4,000 (incl GST).